International Journal of Waste Resources

Environmentally, socially and economically sustainable treatment of e-waste

15^th World Congress and Expo on Recycling

October 16-17, 2023 | Vancouver, Canada

Katharina Lenz

Dismantling and Recycling Centre Vienna, Austria

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: Int J Waste Resour

Abstract:

Waste electric and electronic equipment is the fastest growing type of waste in the world. Obsolescence, not being of use any more, hits consumer goods and gadgets, but also people: not young enough, not fit enough, not healthy or educated enough… and it gets harder and harder to find a job. The Dismantling and Recycling Centre Vienna, Austria tackles sustainability on three levels – environmental, social and economic. In a contract with the municipal waste department, 13% of the WEEE collected separately in Vienna (a city of 2 mio) is treated manually at DRZ. Part of the equipment goes to re-use, and is sold as second-hand goods with a 12-month warranty, after testing, repair and thorough cleansing. The majority of the input material of 6 tons per workday, 1,500 tons per year, is dismantled into 40 different fractions that then are handed over to experienced recyclers. The most appealing parts of e-waste are transformed into beautiful trash_design products. Looking at the social dimension, DRZ offers meaningful temporary employment in the field of circularity to 200 former long-term unemployed persons, most over 50, per year. Support from social workers and outplacers helps building confidence and finding a suitable permanent job on the regular labor market. Economically, manual treatment of e-waste is not profitable in Europe due to high labor cost. Nevertheless, one third of the total expenses at DRZ is covered by the revenue generated from re-use, recycling and upcycling. Beyond monetary benefits, educational activities, networking and lobbying achieve societal impact in the field of e-waste treatment as well as decent working conditions for the socially disadvantaged.

Biography :

Katharina Lenz is an experienced adult education trainer with a passion for comprehensive treatment of complex subjects. In the past years, her focus has been on teaching a diverse audience, from illiterate scrap workers to students, authorities and academics, on matters related to environmentally sound treatment of e-waste, in hands-on dismantling and upcycling workshops, guided tours, presentations, discussion rounds and conferences.